Improvement in fence



SALMON M. PRENTICE, OF AURORA, ILLTNOIS.

Letters Patent No. 94,238, dated .August 31, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT 1N FENCE.

The Schedule referred yto in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom yitymay concern Bc it known that I, SALMON M. Panurrcn, of Anrora,` in the county of 'Kar-ne, inthe Sta-teef Illinois, have invented a new and useful improvement inthe Construction of Fences ga and I herebitdlare the following to bc a full, clear, and exact ,f sc ipton of the construction of the saure, referendo ehhh had to the annexed drawings, making a part 'of this speciiication, in whichp Figure 1 is a perspective view ofthe panels.

Figure 2, a detached-view ofthe manner of fastening and connecting the saine. t i .i n

My invention consists in making fence-panels of any desired length of boards, scantlingpoles, or rails, and wires, and upright pieces or battens, to which the boards, scantling, Sac., are spiked ior nailed. The uprights or battens are provided with holes midway between the -rails',lthrough which the wires are run laterally. The rails and wires are placed at proper distances apart, and any number of rails, wires, and battons'. may be nsed. The panels are constructed separately, and the, middle or inner rail, or rails 'extend beyond the end hatten of onepanel to the centre of theseeond hatten in the next one. All of the rails are of the same length. The wires are placed alternately between thc rails, and extend from one end betten to theother end hatten inthei same panel, and are provided at each end with hooks. j The panel is sppported by ironbraces', plapedjolnI ppposite sides, and iastened'tln'oughlthe top rip-pppn; egli by an iron boltto thesame 'or alternate uprig'liips ,or l' ttens. The braces pass obliquely Idownward'frriml .lie bolt, which fastens them to the hatten, and epteritic ground to a proper depth, and at a proper distance from the lowest rail, and are therediooked into find firmly held by a wedge or block of wood, or other suitable-material.

The panels' are fastened together o1 connected by placing the end battens of two panelstinfeer four inches apart, and spiking or nailing the 'middle or inner rail or rails of one panel to the end lgattenf of the next, and also spiking or nailing the end of the middle'rail or rails to the second bat-ten of thelnextpanel, and by placing wire staples with hoked ends, through holes in the end battens, and connecting the hooked ends ot' the staples, after crossing the ends of the staples, so as to bind the end battons Jtogether into the hooked ends of the wires that extend the full length of each panel, the wire staples wit i the hooked ends -being placed midway between tiileirails, as are the wires in cach panel.

Tocnable others to make and use my invention, I will'procedto describe its constihgction,

'I construct the panels separately, using four uprights or battens', l) c d e, three cialis, a, fz'z. c, and two wires, f, to each panel. i will ,mi pin' wirr-ii:

Two of the uprights or battons, bc, are placed at opposite ends, and two, c d, iutermediately, the same distance from the end battens l1 c and from each other, the battens b d e being provided with holes h running laterally through them.

The rails a :c z are o i equa-l length; the .ends of the top or upper rail a, and the bottom or lower rail z, being spiked or nailed to the end battens be, while the end of the middle rail, a1, is spiked or nailed, (although not shown in the drawing,) to the centre of the intermediate batten d, at o, and extends beyond the end hatten b to the distance described' between the centre of the intermediate bat-ten d., at o, and the outer edge of the end hatten e, at i..

The wires f are placed alternately between therails a x z, and run through the lateral holes 7l, 1n thc batten al, and are provided with hooks s at each end.

The panel is supported by iron rods or braces u l, which are placed on opposite sides of it and fastened, by thrusting an iron bolt, provided with nut and screw, through holes made through upper end of the braces 'a l, the hatten d, and the middle rail a', at w.

Thobraccs are provided with 'hooks at their lower ends.

Passing obliquely downward from their fastening at w, the braces enter the ground about one iooi` from the lower rail z, penetrate it to a propt-r depth, and are there hooked into an opening, 7.', made in the upper suiice of a wedge, y, of wood.

The wedge y is about eighteen inches in length, and three or four inches thick at the large or upper end.

The opening k, in the upper surface ofthe wedge y, should be made about t-hrcc inches from the upper end, and should oblique inwardly and upwardly toward it, forming a kind of socket for the hooks t.

The wedge y should be driven into the ground, the point obliquing downward.

The braces u l extend about one foot b elow the lower rail z, and penetrate the ground to the wedge y, which is placedten inches` from the surface, thereby keeping the lower rail .z two inches above the ground.

The wedge should be placed deeply enough to be beyond the iniluence of the frost and moisture, and to give stability to the fence. The depth depends, of course, upon the nature ofthe soil.

rlhe panels BA are connected crfastened together by placingthe edge of the endbatten cof the panel it within three or four inches ofthe edge ofthe end hatten b of y the panel A, and spiking or nailing the middle rail a: of the panel `A to the end batte-11 c of the other panel B, at 1). Also spiking or nailing the end of the middle :rail x to the centre of the hatten d in panel B, at w, and also (see fig. 2) by placing wire staples, with hooked ends j, through the holes h in the end hatten e of the.

, lill panel I5, and t-ho end hat-teu b of panel A crossing the ends of tbe wire staples at g, so as to bind the end battens e b of the panels B A together.

The booked ends s ofthe wires fare linked into or connected with the hooked ends j of the wire staples, thus lii'mly lastening or connect-nig the panels B A.

The spacel oi' three or four inclu l left between the (nd battons e b ot' the panels B A, is to give the flexion to Jthe f'enee that is necessary on hilly or uneven groma As iin equivalent.i for the hooked endsl t and the wedge y, rings may be used at the lower ends ot' the braces u `I, through which stakes or pins ot' wood should he driven, thus seeming the feuee to the earth in substantially the saine marmer.

To make the fence. a portable one, no spike. or nail should he `used at the end ofthe middle rail :cof panel A, where. 'it meets the hatten rl oi' the panel B, bnt it should be hel l iu place by the holt at the fastening u. A boli should also be used, in the place of spiking or nailing the same middle rail :z: of panel A to the batteu e of the panel B, :it 1). Thus, by removing the wire staples and the bolts at w and p, the panels are entirely disconnected.

Vifhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure lby Letters Patent, is-

1. The panels B A, when supported and secured to the earth by the braces u'l and the wedge y, or their equivalents, and connected by the middle rail x and the wire staples, with hooked endsj, linked or eonnected with the hooked ends s ot' the wires f, constructed and arranged as herein shown vand described.

2. Also, the inode oi' connecting fence-panels by wire sta-ples with booked eudsj, crossed and linked or connected with the wiresf at their hooked ends s, as herein substantially specified.

2i. Further, the. braces u l with hooked ends t, used in eonnwtion with the wedge y, or their equivalents, when used as a means of supporting and securing fences to the. earth. as herein substantially specified.

SALMON M. PRESTIGE. \\'it nessi-s:

L. A. H rnnrsox, S. G. PRATT. 

